[norrisMc]

My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Can't wait to see this in HD ! Great visual style in this movie and the soundtrack should be awesome (also a young, hot, leather-clad Diane Lane in HD!)

Will post my thoughts when I get a chance to watch it.

"BOURNE" arrived too!

[Tim Glover]

Thanks for the tease. Literally.

[Robert George]

My copy showed up on Saturday. Watched it over the weekend. Personally, maybe because I like the movie so much and every version up till now has been crap, I am satisfied with the new HD DVD. That said, I also can see this is an older transfer and I'm sure will draw a good many negative comments for the excessive grain in the image.

Most of the film grain is a result of somewhat underexposed photography with the highly stylized lighting of the film. A lot of low light shots usually means a lot of grain. The few shots that are in daylight look very good, so it is obvious to me what is on the film is in this transfer. On the plus side, the VC-1 encode handles the grain very well is no visible blocking or related compression problems. Soundtrack is good, not great. About what I expected for a film of this age.

[norrisMc]

Just watched it and have to agree with Robert above.

The film is as stylish and action-packed as you remember it. It is all style over substance (what substance?) and the superbly staged fights and music numbers are still great. Diane Lane looks great as usual and Michael Pare is as laconic and leaden as you remember as Tom Cody. Willem Dafoe is a superb villain in his leather boiler suit. The soundtrack and visual design is superb. Entertaining and inventive - "STREETS OF FIRE" is great stuff!

The picture is a HUGE leap forward over the non-anamorphic standard def release. It is a massive difference. Detail is superb! The grain is definately there in abundance but it is in keeping with the style of the film and only becomes noticeable in the films (many) dark scenes. This HD-DVD is slightly brighter and much more dimensional than the SD-DVD. Everything is much MUCH clearer and the vivid colors are reproduced faithfully. The neon looks AWESOME!

The sound is fine. The classic soundtrack seems different to me from the SD release. The HD-DVD is more detailed and has more pizzazz. Everything is less muddy and much clearer, but... there is less bass slam and the musical numbers seem more articulate but with less thump. I guess it depends on how you like your music to which soundtrack version you prefer. For me the HD-DVD just, but it is clearly NOT the upgrade that the picture quality is.

Now the disappointing news... no extras. Nothing. Walter Hill pretty much disowns his films when they leave the theaters and that is true here. In fact, "THE WARRIORS" is the only film he has had anything to do with on home video (and that was because there was a video game coming out and he wanted to make it more "comic-y").

Still, no trailers (there was one on the DVD and two on the laserdisc), no music videos or making of featurette (they were available on a VHS cassette when the film was released), no commentary, and not even any darn insert, production notes or cast and crew bios! A shame and a missed opportunity.

So, all in all, a mixed bag. A huge video upgrade to the picture quality (it is THE BEST this film has ever looked at home), a comparable (although different) soundtrack mix, and disappointly no extras at all. They have decided to go back to the original theatrical poster for the cover though.

If you are a fan of action films, Walter Hill films, stylized films, Diane Lane or Willem Dafoe, "STREETS OF FIRE" is a must own film and it has amassed a sizable cult audience. The HD-DVD is an upgrade in some departments but a step backwards in others.

[stephen^wilson]

Recieved my copy yesterday and had a quick look at it.Dissapointed that there are no extra features but just glad that I could finally upgrade the old non-anamorphic dvd,At least they went with the original poster art(which i love) and not the crappy artwork they used on the repackaged dvd from a few years ago.It's a real shame that the movie wasn't more successful,I would've loved to have seen the planned sequels

[ppltd]

I just saw that mine was shipped on Friday, so I guess I will not get the opportunity to watch it until I get home this weekend. Here's hoping the release stands up.

[Paul Arnette]

Damn you all for intriguing me about this title! Now I have to buy it!

[norrisMc]

Any online reviews of "STREETS OF FIRE" yet ?

[ppltd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by norrisMc

Any online reviews of "STREETS OF FIRE" yet ?

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighDef-Digest

Thankfully, Universal appears to have struck up a new master for the film's HD DVD debut, as this 1080p/VC-1 encode is certainly an improvement. Gone is all the horrendous artifacting, and though the film is still somewhat grainy and gritty in spots (as it should be) it looks remarkably vibrant for a twenty-odd year-old flick. 'Streets of Fire' always shined due to its wonderful colors, and they look fantastic here. From the opening concert sequence to neon-splashed cityscapes, hues leap off the screen with excellent saturation and cleanliness. Streets fo Fire Review

[Mike_G]

This is the third week in a row Best Buy didn't carry a catalog title in-store. Of course this week's title was Streets of Fire (online order only). I ordered it from Amazon but I'm disappointed I didn't get this yesterday. I'm glad it's a good upgrade.